Care home given damning report

UNSAFE, ineffective, careless, unresponsive and poorly-led is how the national health watchdog has described Old Town nursing home, Princess Lodge Care Centre.

The Curie Avenue centre, which is run by national firm Life Style Care, was inspected on July 10 and found to be failing to meet all five of the standards it is expected by the Care Quality Commission.

Warning notices, a last resort used by the CQC for breaches in regulations, have been served on the home, which was given until last Saturday to file an action plan for transforming its practises.

The inspection was unannounced and inspectors said it was carried out after they had concerns about the care people were receiving.

Inspectors said: “The service was not safe. There were not sufficient numbers of qualified, skilled and experienced staff to carry out the regulated activities.

“People who used the service were not protected from the risk of abuse because the provider had not taken reasonable steps to identify the possibility of abuse and prevent abuse from happening.

“We found people were not always supported to eat or drink enough to maintain their health. Staff had not always received training to meet the needs of people living at the home.

“Care did not always take account of people's individual preferences and did not always respect their dignity.

“People were not always spoken to in a way that was respectful or caring.

“People that had lost significant amounts of weight had not been referred to a dietician and care records did not always show the most up-to-date information on people’s needs and risks.”

Among the evidence presented by inspectors, one person had reportedly been asking for a shower since the previous day, but staff said they were too busy.

The person said: “I feel wet and dirty.”

An interaction between two service users in one of the lounges on-site, which escalated into shouting, left both parties distressed, yet two care workers entered on three occasions and ignored them.

Two people remained in bed all day because there were not enough staff to support them, and others remained in bed after lunch because they were not assisted with dressing.

“These situations restricted people’s liberty in a way that may amount to deprivation of liberty but without the authorisation to do so,” said the report.

Some people did not have call bells in their room and there was no evidence to suggest why this was, according to the inspectors.

Those who did not have call bells or could not use them would reportedly scream if they needed anything, but even by this method they were not responded to in a timely manner.

One service user was identified as losing more than 16 per cent of their body weight over a six-month period.

There was no evidence a GP had ever assessed this service user in relation to the extreme weight loss, despite the claims made by staff.

This user wasleft drinks and biscuits on a side table out of their reach on the other side of the room.

A spokesman for Swindon Council, which was contacted after the report was published, said: “We are working jointly with the CQC to make sure the care home reaches the required standard, and as part of this we are making random and frequent visits to check that improvements are being made in line with the requirements of the CQC report.

“These visits can last for several hours and what we find is shared with both the CQC and the operator of the care home.”

Lisa Mitchell, the regional director for Life Style Care, said: “The management at Princess Lodge Care Centre acknowledge there have been serious shortfalls in the standards of care and support of the residents in the home.

“Significant progress has already been made since the inspection in July, including the appointment of a new permanent home manager.

“There is a programme in place to improve the outcomes that residents at Princess Lodge may expect.

“Substantial developments in the support systems and structures are being made and the staff team are committed to ensuring that consistent positive progress is maintained.”

Comments (16)

Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.

Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.zoboxx1

zoboxx1 wrote:
Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.

Bless you for your loss, clearly this Home needs proper investigation!!
We must all help to protect people unable to protect themselves.

[quote][p][bold]zoboxx1[/bold] wrote:
Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.[/p][/quote]Bless you for your loss, clearly this Home needs proper investigation!!
We must all help to protect people unable to protect themselves.Wiltshirereader

It simply boils down to lack of staff, I have worked in a couple of homes, but I had to leave, just didn't have enough time to actually care!! I've gone back to home care, at least I know that the service users are getting the proper care while I'm there! I'm very much afraid, that if the CQC did more unannounced visits they would find a heck of a lot more homes lacking!!

It simply boils down to lack of staff, I have worked in a couple of homes, but I had to leave, just didn't have enough time to actually care!! I've gone back to home care, at least I know that the service users are getting the proper care while I'm there! I'm very much afraid, that if the CQC did more unannounced visits they would find a heck of a lot more homes lacking!!mummyria

There can be no excuse in any circumstances for poor care and neglect but the councils keep cutting back and cutting back and the result is staff are paid just above the minimum wage and this is a huge factor.
If the staff caring for these people have barely enough money to live on and require to work all the hours again care suffers!
people may not be aware but being a carer requires you to evidence everything you do in great detail so the skill set of the person is very vast though to the person in the street it looks like they are just pushing a wheel chair or just sat talking to somebody.
Sadly neglect will continue because wether we like it or not low wages mean you cannot maintain good consistent staff levels because people will chase the extra 20p an hour offered by a competitor.
lastly how can it be right that we ask people to care for our ederly parents and pay them £7 an hour and in many companies much less.
If you visit a care home ask how much they pay there staff and if its less than £8 an hour you are putting your loved one at increase risk because the CQC will not close these companies down because they are a major part of the issue!

There can be no excuse in any circumstances for poor care and neglect but the councils keep cutting back and cutting back and the result is staff are paid just above the minimum wage and this is a huge factor.
If the staff caring for these people have barely enough money to live on and require to work all the hours again care suffers!
people may not be aware but being a carer requires you to evidence everything you do in great detail so the skill set of the person is very vast though to the person in the street it looks like they are just pushing a wheel chair or just sat talking to somebody.
Sadly neglect will continue because wether we like it or not low wages mean you cannot maintain good consistent staff levels because people will chase the extra 20p an hour offered by a competitor.
lastly how can it be right that we ask people to care for our ederly parents and pay them £7 an hour and in many companies much less.
If you visit a care home ask how much they pay there staff and if its less than £8 an hour you are putting your loved one at increase risk because the CQC will not close these companies down because they are a major part of the issue!Hammer5

zoboxx1 wrote:
Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.

CQC inspectors would lose there jobs if they went for a complete closure.
CQC inspectors are just puppets look good while at work but go away and whatever the level of care put in a new report for improvements and love and behold the next report is good
Bad care is a culture and takes new staff from top to bottom to change not a stupid 12 page report by a Quango

[quote][p][bold]zoboxx1[/bold] wrote:
Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.[/p][/quote]CQC inspectors would lose there jobs if they went for a complete closure.
CQC inspectors are just puppets look good while at work but go away and whatever the level of care put in a new report for improvements and love and behold the next report is good
Bad care is a culture and takes new staff from top to bottom to change not a stupid 12 page report by a QuangoHammer5

mummyria wrote:
It simply boils down to lack of staff, I have worked in a couple of homes, but I had to leave, just didn't have enough time to actually care!! I've gone back to home care, at least I know that the service users are getting the proper care while I'm there! I'm very much afraid, that if the CQC did more unannounced visits they would find a heck of a lot more homes lacking!!

How the hell do you know that service user is getting the proper care you can only judge this on you!!
Fact is if staff want to be lazy and not bother home care is ideal because you only have to care when others are present
You say you worked in a couple of homes that means you have left issues behind and I bet you never contacted the CQC either
I have serious concerns about people like you in my opinion you are high risk!!

[quote][p][bold]mummyria[/bold] wrote:
It simply boils down to lack of staff, I have worked in a couple of homes, but I had to leave, just didn't have enough time to actually care!! I've gone back to home care, at least I know that the service users are getting the proper care while I'm there! I'm very much afraid, that if the CQC did more unannounced visits they would find a heck of a lot more homes lacking!![/p][/quote]How the hell do you know that service user is getting the proper care you can only judge this on you!!
Fact is if staff want to be lazy and not bother home care is ideal because you only have to care when others are present
You say you worked in a couple of homes that means you have left issues behind and I bet you never contacted the CQC either
I have serious concerns about people like you in my opinion you are high risk!!Hammer5

Hammer5 wrote:
There can be no excuse in any circumstances for poor care and neglect but the councils keep cutting back and cutting back and the result is staff are paid just above the minimum wage and this is a huge factor.
If the staff caring for these people have barely enough money to live on and require to work all the hours again care suffers!
people may not be aware but being a carer requires you to evidence everything you do in great detail so the skill set of the person is very vast though to the person in the street it looks like they are just pushing a wheel chair or just sat talking to somebody.
Sadly neglect will continue because wether we like it or not low wages mean you cannot maintain good consistent staff levels because people will chase the extra 20p an hour offered by a competitor.
lastly how can it be right that we ask people to care for our ederly parents and pay them £7 an hour and in many companies much less.
If you visit a care home ask how much they pay there staff and if its less than £8 an hour you are putting your loved one at increase risk because the CQC will not close these companies down because they are a major part of the issue!

Unfortunately it is basic economics. if you want council tax not to rise but there is more demand for adult social care, where exactly do you think the money comes from? Ignoring for a moment how inefficient and badly run the council is boy both councillors and officers who have no sense of running a £200million a year business. If there is a fixed amount of money and more demand where exactly do you think the money is coming from? Everyone moans about the recycling service and the potholes and goodness what else, but you get what you pay for. Council tax hasnt gone up for a few years but the costs of providing the service has and the contribution from central Govt has also reduced.

We need a bit of realism here, of course the elderly should be cared for, but someone will have to pay for it the same way we all have to go without things when our wages dont rise but prices or commitments do. The same goes for the health service in general, more demand with the same or less resources will of course mean a reduced service. But then if people weren't so selfish and looked after themselves better there would be enough money for those who really need it. We abuse the health system the same way most of the welfare state is abused is one way or another, we only have ourselves to blame.

[quote][p][bold]Hammer5[/bold] wrote:
There can be no excuse in any circumstances for poor care and neglect but the councils keep cutting back and cutting back and the result is staff are paid just above the minimum wage and this is a huge factor.
If the staff caring for these people have barely enough money to live on and require to work all the hours again care suffers!
people may not be aware but being a carer requires you to evidence everything you do in great detail so the skill set of the person is very vast though to the person in the street it looks like they are just pushing a wheel chair or just sat talking to somebody.
Sadly neglect will continue because wether we like it or not low wages mean you cannot maintain good consistent staff levels because people will chase the extra 20p an hour offered by a competitor.
lastly how can it be right that we ask people to care for our ederly parents and pay them £7 an hour and in many companies much less.
If you visit a care home ask how much they pay there staff and if its less than £8 an hour you are putting your loved one at increase risk because the CQC will not close these companies down because they are a major part of the issue![/p][/quote]Unfortunately it is basic economics. if you want council tax not to rise but there is more demand for adult social care, where exactly do you think the money comes from? Ignoring for a moment how inefficient and badly run the council is boy both councillors and officers who have no sense of running a £200million a year business. If there is a fixed amount of money and more demand where exactly do you think the money is coming from? Everyone moans about the recycling service and the potholes and goodness what else, but you get what you pay for. Council tax hasnt gone up for a few years but the costs of providing the service has and the contribution from central Govt has also reduced.
We need a bit of realism here, of course the elderly should be cared for, but someone will have to pay for it the same way we all have to go without things when our wages dont rise but prices or commitments do. The same goes for the health service in general, more demand with the same or less resources will of course mean a reduced service. But then if people weren't so selfish and looked after themselves better there would be enough money for those who really need it. We abuse the health system the same way most of the welfare state is abused is one way or another, we only have ourselves to blame.house on the hill

Even the better places are nothing to shout about. Trust me I've been in plenty of them. Most will have staff paid a pittance and working under extreme pressure.
Ask yourselves why jobs in these places are readily available and have a high turnover of staff.
The industry across the board needs radical changes

Even the better places are nothing to shout about. Trust me I've been in plenty of them. Most will have staff paid a pittance and working under extreme pressure.
Ask yourselves why jobs in these places are readily available and have a high turnover of staff.
The industry across the board needs radical changesAlan Bast*rd

zoboxx1 wrote:
Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.

Awful news and I hope you have been getting the help you need. Hopefully there will be a full investigation that will give you some closure on this.

I do fear we only see the tip of the iceberg in these matters. It angers me that people who have contributed to the system for many years can be forgotten so easily.
I would be scared to put a family member into one of these homes as there is never anything positive said.

[quote][p][bold]zoboxx1[/bold] wrote:
Are they going to investigate the deaths at this god forsaken place ! I raised the same concerns with cqc a year ago and got no where !!!! Its to late gor my nan now but there are so many more that need protecting.[/p][/quote]Awful news and I hope you have been getting the help you need. Hopefully there will be a full investigation that will give you some closure on this.
I do fear we only see the tip of the iceberg in these matters. It angers me that people who have contributed to the system for many years can be forgotten so easily.
I would be scared to put a family member into one of these homes as there is never anything positive said.Badgersgetabadname

My Son has just brought this to my attention and my Dad is in there I am so angry that this has happened, when we looked at the home it was presented as if they were selling a new build" We have this in place and we do this etc" which every time i have been there the service users are doing nothing no interaction at all, as soon as i go in and start talking to my Dad its like a light goes on, i didnt want him to go there and would have liked him to go to the other home that i looked at but it was all down to funding, I dont like the place if i could have my Dad at home with me i would, i am going to see him tomorrow and i will be asking questions and i will be ringing his social worker on Mon and will be requesting him moved, he is in renal failure so time isnt on his side and i want his last days to be in comfort AND WELL BEING

My Son has just brought this to my attention and my Dad is in there I am so angry that this has happened, when we looked at the home it was presented as if they were selling a new build" We have this in place and we do this etc" which every time i have been there the service users are doing nothing no interaction at all, as soon as i go in and start talking to my Dad its like a light goes on, i didnt want him to go there and would have liked him to go to the other home that i looked at but it was all down to funding, I dont like the place if i could have my Dad at home with me i would, i am going to see him tomorrow and i will be asking questions and i will be ringing his social worker on Mon and will be requesting him moved, he is in renal failure so time isnt on his side and i want his last days to be in comfort AND WELL BEINGshedevil1956

shedevil1956 wrote:
My Son has just brought this to my attention and my Dad is in there I am so angry that this has happened, when we looked at the home it was presented as if they were selling a new build&quot; We have this in place and we do this etc" which every time i have been there the service users are doing nothing no interaction at all, as soon as i go in and start talking to my Dad its like a light goes on, i didnt want him to go there and would have liked him to go to the other home that i looked at but it was all down to funding, I dont like the place if i could have my Dad at home with me i would, i am going to see him tomorrow and i will be asking questions and i will be ringing his social worker on Mon and will be requesting him moved, he is in renal failure so time isnt on his side and i want his last days to be in comfort AND WELL BEING

My advice to you would be to go on tothe cqc website and read the reports (may be disturbing). This is worrying for any family member with a loved one there. You must do what feels right and question everything, at the end of the day you are your dads voice. I wish I'd shouted louder :( good luck x

[quote][p][bold]shedevil1956[/bold] wrote:
My Son has just brought this to my attention and my Dad is in there I am so angry that this has happened, when we looked at the home it was presented as if they were selling a new build" We have this in place and we do this etc" which every time i have been there the service users are doing nothing no interaction at all, as soon as i go in and start talking to my Dad its like a light goes on, i didnt want him to go there and would have liked him to go to the other home that i looked at but it was all down to funding, I dont like the place if i could have my Dad at home with me i would, i am going to see him tomorrow and i will be asking questions and i will be ringing his social worker on Mon and will be requesting him moved, he is in renal failure so time isnt on his side and i want his last days to be in comfort AND WELL BEING[/p][/quote]My advice to you would be to go on tothe cqc website and read the reports (may be disturbing). This is worrying for any family member with a loved one there. You must do what feels right and question everything, at the end of the day you are your dads voice. I wish I'd shouted louder :( good luck xzoboxx1

The regional director's comments are a bit misleading, suggesting that the new manager being put in place is due to the inspection. The new manager is needed as they have had a temporary one since April when the old manager left. This home is run by a company owned by Ramesh Sachdev, the 7th richest man in the country. The poor care is quite clearly not due to funding but greed.

The regional director's comments are a bit misleading, suggesting that the new manager being put in place is due to the inspection. The new manager is needed as they have had a temporary one since April when the old manager left. This home is run by a company owned by Ramesh Sachdev, the 7th richest man in the country. The poor care is quite clearly not due to funding but greed.Norwich123

Thankyou zoboxx1, i am so sorry for your loss, i have been to see my dad today he was sat in a lounge with another gent so i was sat there talking to both of them we had a good natter about this and that, they both had a drink in front of them untouched which i encouraged both of them to drink, i was there with my daughter for over 30 min and not one member of staff came into the lounge to see how they were. I asked at the office when we left for a copy of the report and was informed they hadn't been given one!!!! I am going to call my Dads social worker on mon with my concerns, when my dad was assessed they gave me two homes to look at Miranda House, Princess Lodge, and i preferred Miranda House but was then informed that they wouldn't be able to get funding as it was a lot dearer i didn't like Princess lodge on the first visit just didnt feel right. Roll on Monday questions will be asked.

Thankyou zoboxx1, i am so sorry for your loss, i have been to see my dad today he was sat in a lounge with another gent so i was sat there talking to both of them we had a good natter about this and that, they both had a drink in front of them untouched which i encouraged both of them to drink, i was there with my daughter for over 30 min and not one member of staff came into the lounge to see how they were. I asked at the office when we left for a copy of the report and was informed they hadn't been given one!!!! I am going to call my Dads social worker on mon with my concerns, when my dad was assessed they gave me two homes to look at Miranda House, Princess Lodge, and i preferred Miranda House but was then informed that they wouldn't be able to get funding as it was a lot dearer i didn't like Princess lodge on the first visit just didnt feel right. Roll on Monday questions will be asked.shedevil1956

I hope to God I don't end up in one of so called "care homes" I'm 81 so its more than a possibility.

Whilst it doesn't solve the problem a hefty compensation to residents whenever there are cqc concerns might well have a sobering effect on the greedy owners.

I hope to God I don't end up in one of so called "care homes" I'm 81 so its more than a possibility.
Whilst it doesn't solve the problem a hefty compensation to residents whenever there are cqc concerns might well have a sobering effect on the greedy owners.trustnopolitician

Wondered when that place was going to eventually hit this paper, Lets hope somthing is done about it now the place is a disgrace, my Auntie was in there as it all seemed very nice at first, but as some have already experienced after a few days it all turns out not all was what it seemed, within 6 weeks we got her out of there, communial louge areas never manned leaving elderly on there own for nearly 30 who could have easily fallen out of there chairs some of them were violent as well which put others at risk, I eventually asked while we were sorting it out that she was not to be put in that lounge again as it was unsafe and put her at risk to find her back there a day later, her health got so much worse it was so upsetting the place was dirty dinner stuff not cleared away un hoovered carpets sticky tables and the smell was awful. we reported this to a couple of parties but got no where really, on a good note she ended up in a good home just down the road where she was very happy and enjoyed her last days with friendly staff good atmosphere

Wondered when that place was going to eventually hit this paper, Lets hope somthing is done about it now the place is a disgrace, my Auntie was in there as it all seemed very nice at first, but as some have already experienced after a few days it all turns out not all was what it seemed, within 6 weeks we got her out of there, communial louge areas never manned leaving elderly on there own for nearly 30 who could have easily fallen out of there chairs some of them were violent as well which put others at risk, I eventually asked while we were sorting it out that she was not to be put in that lounge again as it was unsafe and put her at risk to find her back there a day later, her health got so much worse it was so upsetting the place was dirty dinner stuff not cleared away un hoovered carpets sticky tables and the smell was awful. we reported this to a couple of parties but got no where really, on a good note she ended up in a good home just down the road where she was very happy and enjoyed her last days with friendly staff good atmosphereredred